July Newsletter

 

There is a form of Christianity that is just that – a form. It is not real Christianity, but a counterfeit that seeks to derive the benefits of the Christian life without actually living it. Jesus warned those who followed Him to evaluate themselves and make sure they were not a part of that group. Why was He so concerned about it? Because this dead Christianity has a tendency to anesthetize the heart of individuals from walking in the glorious light of our Lord Jesus Christ. What does dead Christianity look like? It is devoid of a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. It is manifest by the lack of certain qualities in the individual that is living it.
 
First, James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Don’t tell me you have faith if your life does not back it up. True faith will be corroborated by a corresponding lifestyle. If a person claims to have faith without corresponding action, he is a dead man walking.
 
Second, John tells us that love without deeds is dead (1 John 3:17-18). Everybody likes to believe they are loving people, but the true measure of a person’s love is in their deeds. The person who claims to love but never acts is a dead man walking.
 
Third, Paul tells us that grace without holiness is dead (Romans 6:12-14). We are called to cease from presenting the members of our body to unrighteousness, but instead to present them to God as instruments of righteousness. The motive for this is because we are under grace. The person who claims to be walking in grace but continuing in sin is a dead man walking.
 
If these characteristics fit you, there is good news. First, you are finally getting in touch with reality, and you are refusing to deceive yourself any longer. Also, the fact of the matter is that we were all dead in our trespasses at one time. But God, in His great mercy, sent His Son that through His death we might have life. Turn to Him and present yourself to Him honestly. Allow Him to have His way in you, and you will soon find yourself walking in newness of life, and rejoicing in His glorious light.
 

This year's VBS was a huge success! 300 children traveled through Mystery Island, to track down the one true God. Each day, the kids found a gold coin hidden in a classroom. These gold coins represented 5 characteristics about God...

The kids learned many new things, not only in their Bible rotation, but also in Deep Sea Science, Crafts, Dance, Games, and in Snack & Chat! Friday was our Water Day, where the kids were blessed to have a few of our local firefighters come out with a fire engine, and be sprayed down with the fire hose. It was so much fun!

Throughout the week, we saw over 200 kids raise their hands to receive Christ! That is more than 2/3rds of the children. Praise God! And they all did amazing, dancing for their loved ones at the Friday Night Performance Show!

All throughout VBS, we also raised money to support Pastor Jorge in CC Santa Fe in Mexico. The money raised also went towards which of the MCs would be slimed (or ice creamed) at the end of the day! The kids definitely had a lot of fun with that!

We would like to thank everyone who made this year's VBS possible. We had over 150 volunteers give their time to help with VBS. Many people helped financially by donating snacks and different items needed. We also had a fantastic Overseer team that spent countless hours getting things ready the last few months. We would also like to thank the Security Team for keeping all of us safe, the Sound Team for all your behind the scenes work, the Dance Team for choreographing all of this year's dances, and for our 2021 MC's, Miranda and Ethan. Thank you all for your service unto the Lord.

And a special thank you to Pastor Jimmy, for his continued guidance and faithfulness in keeping the doors of CCLM open during such unprecedented times. And for allowing us to put on such a huge event that has ministered to the hearts of so many.

We cannot wait till next year's VBS!